Anecdotes from the campaign trail

Romney flies coach

As word spread that the leading challenger to President Obama was on the flight, ground crew members and baggage handlers streamed up the stairs from the tarmac into the plane to get Romney’s autograph. They treated him like a rock star, one after another. Anyone who has followed the airline’s labor history at the Philadelphia hub knows that the local Philadelphia union is among the most belligerent in the entire commercial aviation industry, nearly wrecking the airline with “sick outs” one holiday season. If Romney gets the nomination, and the same reception in Philadelphia next November among these Reagan democrats, Obama is in trouble.

I don't know that this means much, but it's a good opportunity to make my position on Romney clear.

1. I like Mitt.
2. Obviously, he'd be a vast improvement over the current occupant of the White House.
3. He's got some issues, of which the most significant is the Romneycare that he continues to refuse to disavow, despite the fact that a) Obamacare is a huge issue and b) Romneycare has been a disaster.

Everything that he's done in this campaign thus far has been aimed at beating Barack Obama. (Well, maybe not everything. He continues to defend Romneycare which doesn't help in either the primary or the general. I don't understand, at all, why he does it.) He's running to the center, though, essentially running a general election campaign during primary season. Because of this, he will not be the Republican nominee. I don't know who will be. Rick Perry, maybe, or Tim Pawlenty or Herman Cain. But not Romney.

If I'm wrong about that, though, I'm right about this, anyway - if Mitt Romney wins the Republican presidential nomination, he is the next President of the United States.


[UPDATED - It previously said that he "continues to disavow" which is, of course, exactly not right, and not what I meant.]